Virtual Reeder

Press #6 to Hear about Sharks

2010-03-31T22:36:00.000-07:00

I think people forget how far a bit of positive encouragement goes. It may be that it's simply too simple and we take it for granted. I've recently had a few people ask me when I will add to this blog or write something new on Facebook. That feels great. Not sure why the ask is there, but my hope is that my mix of middling observations and Duran Duran references are finding an audience.

It's also worth noting that I'm truly blessed with a job that allows me to freely write about almost anything I want so I do get most of my thoughts out. That said, I have struggled putting presentations together over the last couple of months so maybe this will help. Lots of stuff happening in my life, most of it positive and little of it for publication.

As an Account Planner, I'm finding that next to the classic Moleskine notebook, my greatest research tool is my mobile phone (currently an iPhone). I use it to make verbal notes, interview people and look things up. But the bit I use most is the camera feature. I just like documenting things. I'm finding more and more often that I'm using these images in my work. Though I do think it's important that the images not be "staged" for inclusion. I want the observations to be authentic and have scale (I can find them in other places).

What I want to do here is document some of the ones I've got banging around. It's more for me to be able to have a place to find them (with context) but perhaps you'll find them interesting. Or steal them. I don't mind.

Devin and I went walking in downtown Winslow (Bainbridge Island) one afternoon last month. Across the street from our coffee shop is this noticeboard. I love to walk by it or stare at it from the coffee shop. I don't know why. I just do. I think it's the ivy walkway it opens into or the fact it stretches around a corner. This day we walked over to tromp down the alley. I took a look at the various notices and they were what you would expect (yoga lessons, kayaks for sale, news etc...) but what I loved was how used and recent the postings were. It was really fascinating how many people had interacted with it over the last few days.

In an earlier post here I made reference to dying customs (mail, newspaper delivery etc...) but i think this is different. I think this is a reaction. Now granted, Winslow is a small town. But I can't help think that these notices, how frequented and thoughtful they are, might be a real physical expression of community that we're all missing somehow. My community is on Facebook, Foursquare and Twitter. It's in the contacts section of my phone. It's rarely my next door neighbor. Might noticeboards like this be a way for us to connect with the like-minded or the interested? By staring at it the way I do daily, am I maybe trying to get a quick read on what's happening on my island? I think i may be starting to miss real people. Anyway, I just like it. It makes me feel good.

I was having an airport breakfast with a coworker when she asked me for the sugar. This is what I handed her. I don't use sugar in my coffee. I actually like the way it tastes, but I can never get it right (same with cream) so I don't bother. It's too complicated. Add having to make the choice between 4 (!) sweeteners to the mix and I'd probably switch to tea. No real observations here except maybe that too many choices can actually drive customers a way. Oh, and we live in a really fat country (guilty) and this doesn't help. I'm sure it's perfectly normal in other countries to have this many options of sugar and sugar like objects. Anyone tried the the pink one?

I was in San Francisco last week and I counted myself on 14 different cameras before I got to the office. This image is from a Taxi. I was trying to look out the window into the bay but this sticker was stuck right in the middle of the window. Same on the other side of the seat. In fact the only window I could look out unobstructed was the front windshield. And when I did that, I was looking straight into... the... camera. Pretty clever if you ask me.

How might we limit exploration on websites or in retail in ways that drive to ultimate objective: attaining correct information or purchase? I know this is done with displays, isle width etc... but how do we quickly allow a customer to get what they want (a view of the bay) and what we want (a prolonged look into the camera)? If only I knew someone who worked in User Experience...

A couple of months ago I took Keegan to the Pacific Science Center. There was actually a model train show and he's crazy about trains so we went. But what we ended up doing was hanging out in the science center. I'd never taken him (shame) and I'd only ever been a couple times. I snapped this picture because I fell in love with how elegant the display was. You can't read it here, but it's basically showing you how large the various planets are. You've the yellow sun, so large it's filled by dozens of Saturn's. And it takes 25 earths to fill a single Saturn. It was feaking brilliant.

I love data. One of my passions at work is to try and get us to tell better stories with it. We deal with insanely complex numbers, definitions and rules. But what if we thought in shape, color and focused on contextualizing things? We'd have better meetings, happier clients and better slides. This tells a great story. It takes the big and gives it context. It also does it quickly. I love this.

I took my wolfpack to the Seattle Aquarium on a rainy Saturday not too long ago. As we readied for exploration I saw this sign. There were dozens of them. I'd used many audio tours before in museums, but this was the first one I'd seen that I used my cell phone to access. I love it. I can only imagine how much cooler these trips would have been as a kid had my parents been able to dial into a tour. Keegan and I used it. It's good. Dial it now. Really.

What I did was take snapshots of the exhibits and of these signs. Then I dropped the images into a powerpoint and printed a copy for the car. Now when the wolfpack is bothering me I dial the numbers (hands free mine you) and play the tours over the car speakers. I'm Martha Stewart like that. But seriously, tours like this are yet another use for my cell phone. I went through airport security with it last week. I got a Tweet from my Mayor on it today. Cell phones are cool.

Thanks for reading this far.

Postcard to Keegan in the form of a wine cellar

2009-08-29T21:10:00.000-07:00

Quite a weekend…after years of planning, saving, starting, scraping and more saving, I was able to get to a place where I can now say “I have a wine cellar.” It’s something I’ve wanted for years and it has turned out exactly how I wanted it to be: Plain, functional, roomy and unpretentious. Well, as unpretentious as a room in a home devoted to wine storage can be. But, I suppose it’s my version of a man room. After all, I have a 33” TV and watch DVD’s on an Xbox. But wine is kind of my thing so I think it makes it ok. And now that I can sit down here on my cold, perfectly scuffed concrete floor and stare at all the bottles, I’m reminded of why I have them at all.

[boring bit] When I was a kid we lived in the bay area. Several weekends each year my Mom, varying numbers of aunts, uncles, and scattered cousins would arrive and we would inevitably make the hot, steamy ride north to the Napa Valley. We’d be seven to a car, no seat-belts and the kids would sit on the coolers. Nobody was a collector or a “taster” in the Wine Spectator sense of the word, but they did like wine. And in those days it came free and it came with good conversation, it was an experience. It was the `70’s and Napa wasn’t nearly what Napa is today. It was the days before the limos and expensive hotels. In fact, the place I recall most is Inglenook. Jug Chablis maker to the country. It was a blast. I can remember playing on the grounds, eating grapes, climbing tractors and kicking the ball around as the adults pitched camp in the tasting rooms. Inevitably, one of the hipper aunts would bring a glass out and the kids would get to sip. I liked it. Not sure why, but I know I looked forward to the sample. And it stayed with me, as did the sourdough, salami and cheese sandwiches we’d eat on the lawn. [end boring bit]

Back to the cellar. You can see the original frame and the window that was in this part of the basement. The window was removed and a wall with the cooler was added in its place. At full capacity (including the top shelf bit) it will hold around 1,400 bottles. Will it ever get to that point? Highly doubtful, but it’s worth a shot.

And now it’s my turn. My hope is that Keegan and Devin look at this collection as a shared memory. I think we're off to a good start. Where I had Napa, Keegan has Burgundy (though, just once). Two great shots from that trip: climbing the small stone wall into Romane-Conti (the most expensive wine on the globe) to taste a grape (GASP!) and another of him napping in a cellar tasting room. The French loved him. Keegan wanted to put the first bottle in the new cellar and is now adept at being able to navigate the Wall, row, column code to pull out the right bottle. It’s a good party trick. He’s proficient. I have a mixed case of `04 stuff I’m holding for his 18th birthday so we'll see how it goes (my sense is Devin will be a Tequila guy. Check back on that.).

So my point is this: each bottle in this cellar has a story. And now I can sit here and think about the trips, friends and family that have influenced each of these bottles. Both in wine buying and in life, for me it’s about memories and emotions. And that’s why I think the wine industry and wine marketing is too much about scores and reviews. Wine is like any other kind of food or drink. It’s emotional and in many instances, ties to specific memories and feelings. What if the marketing departments started to think about the “ who & why” people buy the product vs. the “how” it’s consume? Might we sell more wine and sell it to a broader audience?

Off to pull some corks. Cheers!

2009-08-29T20:20:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone. Kunal and I have composed a panel for the 2010 SXSW conference. We'd very nuch appreciate your support. Go to the below link and give us a thumbs up if you will. Thanks.

http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/view/3772?return=%2Fideas%2Findex%2Finteractive%2Fq%3Arazorfish

Why Marketing Sucks And Creating Is The Future

Organizer:
Mike Reeder, Razorfish

Description:
Advertisements are stubborn. Shared experiences affect culture. How must Marketers rethink our jobs if the goal is shifting behavior and providing cultural value? This discussion drives towards the answer, and attempts to create a shared experience that has a tangible effect on culture before we update at next year's SXSW.

QuestionsAnswered:
How might agencies evolve to change consumer behaviors?
What is the role of "expectation" in making this behavioral shift?
What are some brands that are creating compelling experiences for their audience?
There's a lot of chatter about experiences but very little definition - what's your definition?
As the media and creative landscape continues to change, how will audiences consider and react? What does success look like when creating experiences?
What is the shifting role of digital in this consumer landscape?
Why is creating experiences better than marketing for brands?
What key elements are part of a compelling digital experience?
Why is it so important for brands to affect culture?

Collective signs make the community

2009-08-21T15:00:00.000-07:00

I find myself taking more and more pictures for use in presentations. I wonder if there are any other Account Planners who read these posts? If there are, let me ask, do you take pictures with the intention of using them in a presentation? Am I ill? In any event, I never used these (if you want to see those I have used, you'll need to ask me to come speak...) but thought this might be as good a place as any to get them out and see if someone might use them. Not too much in the way of deep comments here, but there are a few insights to be drawn out.

Tomorrow Depends on You!
Devin and I went to look for a mini-fridge for my office. The next town over has both a Home Depot and a WalMart. I can't tell you what kind of stress both of these stores put on me. When I'm in HD I'm inevitably sporting a Madonna t-shirt or worse (soccer jersey?) and get treated like an idiot (deserved, I really don't know anything about what they sell). But WalMart's hard because it's so BIG and so CHEAP that I'm confronted with the knowledge that bad things are happening to people so I might be allowed to buy a $4 Bob the Builder T-shirt. Anyway, on this day I had to clean ice cream off Devin and I noticed this sign outside the Bathroom. A stock quote. Just feels really creepy. If I'm working at WM, NASDAQ performance would be low on my hierarchy of concerns. Then on the way out I saw this massive display for commemorative flag holders. Might not be the only reason, but my assumption is these are for keeping flags in memory of people who have died (in the line of duty and other). It depressed me. I thought about the two wars we're in, the role the $4 t-shirt probably plays in it (macro-econ folks), the fact that WM uses stock price as a motivator while working to keep minimum wage down. Then I looked down at Devin and wondered if he and Keegs would have to go to war someday and said: "screw the fridge, we're out." But WM does have a sense of humor, next to the flag cases was a equally large Halloween Bucket display ($2). It is August after all.

This is why I have a Cellar.

When I saw this headline it reminded me of Y2K. Do you remember Y2K? The story was essentially that due to an error in taxing the companies that produce booze or something or other, there was a slight chance a few kinds of liquor would be less plentiful in the coming Summer months. A few weeks after this I went to my local Liquor store to pick up some gin and I enquired about the unholy shortage and asked if he had something to protect himself with should a mob with a taste for rum descend upon him. He didn't know what I was talking about but did add that there had been a run on schnapps. He added, "but you know, with the holiday (July 4th) it is schnapps season." Schnapps season? You might want to use this image if you are pitching an account in which the "fuzzy navel" is of importance.

Don't do that here. We didn't mean to send mixed signals.

I walk Keegan and Devin to school each day. Their school is located in fairly well known alley that is home to several restaurants, bars and even a farmers market. I'm not an idiot, I get why this noise ordinance exists. But is guess I took this picture because for whatever reason it's usually covered by a sign giving notice to the availability of of condos in the above building. It's also on the outside wall of a Tequila bar. I freak out if my neighbors mow before 10am. Can you imagine? Maybe you can. Maybe I'm too suburban now.

The next picture is one that always makes me laugh. My co-worker is the only person I know who banks at a certain bank downtown. When we go to lunch, he always needs to get cash. His cash machine is located at the entrance (henceforth known as "alcove") to his branch. On the wall of this sign there is a little ledge for sitting and an ashtray. A seat and an ashtray. And 5 feet away is an uncovered bus stop. Why keep the seat and the ashtray? The ashtray is odd. Who sits outside a cash machine and has a smoke? Wanna bet there is a sign forbidding bus riders from using the bench (and ashtray) within the year? I say let anyone who wants to, sit and have a smoke. Bus riders have it hard enough.

2009-08-20T11:11:00.000-07:00

25 Things About Me

1. I love the feeling of melancholy. It makes music sound better, colors muted and food taste bland. It’s good every once in a while.

2. The last scary movie I saw was “Children of the Corn.” I’ve been horror free since 1984.

3. My secret dream is to own my own taco wagon. I’d like to drive it up and down the PCH one summer listening to nothing but Van Halen.

4. I am doing exactly what I’ve wanted to do since I was 11. I opened my first ad agency that year marketing things in our house back to my mother. I was pretty unsuccessful. I’m slightly better now.

5. I am an art school drop-out.

6. The difference between clever and stupid is a space I can't find. I hope I never do. Both have their uses.

7. I have 734 bottles of wine and my favorite pairing is pizza or a cheeseburger. The best bottle of wine I’ve ever had was drunk in the parking lot of a tamale hut in Walla Walla. I have only a vague idea of what it was.

8.My 2 boys are the most interesting thing that will ever happen to me. Every day they change my perspective. I love them both more than anything and always will.

9. I am a germ freak. I’m not overly neat or anything, but if I sense someone is sick I often fake a bloody nose or phone call and leave the room.

10. I once shared an elevator with Elvis Costello and all I could think to ask him was how he kept from catching a cold with as much travel as he does. He looked at me like you are looking right now. He didn’t answer.

11. My favorite musical memory is sitting in Jim’s living room in 1983 listening to a 3rd generation recording of Run-DMC. It was mind bending. I remember being startled and manically giggling. It was totally different. It was Kirkland. It was 1983.

12. I love to channel surf. I’ll sit in front of the TV for 2 hours just changing channels. When I’m done I will have watched nothing. I love thinking something better is on the next channel. Satellite is good.

13. I have 4 pairs of the same jeans. I have had a pink oxford in the mix since `82. I have the same sport coat in 3 colors. I have 16 pairs of Nike Dunks. If I go missing my wife will have a good idea of what I’m wearing.

14. I graduated from the University of Washington when I was 30. I was only there 3 years. I was really, really trying to make up some time.

15. In 9th grade I un-ironically wore a Michael Jackson glove for about 2 months.

16. I was in a bad motorcycle accident in `04. I landed on my neck ½ a block away. Right before my helmet took a hunk of the curb off I heard a voice say “relax your head.” The next day I was able to walk to coffee. I like to leave the voice open to interpretation but I’m pretty sure I know who it was.

17. When we were in France we stayed at an old farm house in Burgundy. I videotaped Keegan, who was around 2 talking to a baby cow in the yard. It was a 17 minute discussion. He used the phrase “I’m serious.” He got it from me which is both funny and sad. Funny, because it was a cow. Sad, because I say that too often. I wish I wasn’t.

18. Guitar Hero checks off all my boxes. I only ever play the easy level. Then I buy the next game. I like to think it’s more “punk” to play 3/5 buttons.

19. I went to the `06 World Cup in Germany. I attended a game in Leipzig. On the way back to Berlin I shared a train compartment with 4 random guys from Ghana, India, Philippines and Norway. I was excited to talk Football (soccer) and impress them that a Yank knew the game. But all they asked me about was Sex in the City. The consensus was that Samantha would never marry. That is why I love media.

20. In high school I shared a house with my dad. He traveled 200 days a year. How the house stayed up and I graduated on time I will never know.

21. The argument for best running back in the history of the NFL goes through Bo Jackson. You know I’m right. If you extrapolated his shortened career he would own every record and the Raiders would have 5 Super Bowls. Be he didn’t, so they don’t, and I said I wasn’t going to cry….

22. When Joanne and I first got together we lived in a shabby apartment with little heat and lived on Hot Pockets she would put on her student card. On Friday we would splurge on a medium pizza. It was what the week was lived for. I can’t tell you how glad I am we go that far back.

23. In my bag I always have a book, 2 magazines, iPod and notebook.

24. I regret too often.

25. I remember Live Aid happening not for the concert but because it was also the day 7-Up released “Cherry 7-Up.” I spent the morning calling stores to find some. I didn’t really care about Cherries or 7-Up. I just remember being puzzled that they would do it and felt compelled to take part. Again, not “compelled take part” in the musical-political touchstone of my generation but rather in a marketing gimmick. It says a lot. The cans sat in the fridge for a year. I think of this when I see it on the shelves, or when I hear “Do they know it’s Christmas?”

Tribe Joining with Keegan

2009-07-16T22:30:00.000-07:00

I'm commuting with Keegan a lot this month. I enjoy it and it's great to spend the extra time with him. He seems to be growing so fast that I just know I'm going to wake up and he'll be in high school.

It's no secret he and his brother Devin make their way into my work both directly (smartphones + kids) and indirectly (waving whale = inauthentic). I'm finding these walks to the ferry terminal and the boat rides are pretty illuminating in terms of watching how people (Keegan specifically) evolve and adapt to their surroundings.

I've noticed lately that Keegan isn't content to just sit in the booth with us anymore reading books and racing Hotwheels. He's begun to see other kids (older) migrate to the "Tokyo Drift" video game at the "stern" of the boat. I can see Keegan is yearning to be with the big kids who stand around trying to outwit the candy machine while taking turns pretending to play the game. "Drift" is $1 (wtf?) and few parents are shelling out. But every day they line up to hit the gas peddle, bash the gear shift and pound the nitro button.

It's been fun standing off to the side watching Keegan attempt to insert himself into the collective. You can literally map out the hierarchy and the social norms of the group. These photos give you a sense of how he's going about getting stuck into the group.

What I really like is that he's quickly observed, made notes and summized that the older kids like to show others how smart they are about the game. With so few social currencies at this age, insights and bragging rights have real value. So I'll hear him ask questions that he clearly knows the answer to, "is 3rd gear faster than 1st?" After the older kid is allowed to school him, Keegan will often get picked to be next so that he can be shown how to play. I like that Keegan figured out what button to push on the older kids. He's also very smart about where he places himself while observing. He's always off to the side, slightly back, hands hidden in his sleeves, trying to just observe. Love that kid and thanks for the insights.

Position your focus, observe your segment, ask questions that illicit an emotional response. Learn. Evaluate. Build powerpoint slides...

Under New Ownership

2009-05-16T09:52:00.000-07:00

This blog has been on the shelf for the last six months while I did too much travel. It is now being picked back up. Please come back next week.

I'm falling for Paula Radcliffe

2008-09-04T13:12:00.000-07:00

I need to come clean. I may be in love with Paula Radcliffe.

It came on quickly. To be honest, I didn't even know her until 3 weeks ago. It's one of those things I guess. She seems to love whatever music I'm listening to (which at the moment is a lot of James Blunt -- go figure) and never has anything but cheerful things to say. And then she leaves (kind of). It's a really good thing.

Paula Radcliffe has taken over my iPod and I like it. A lot.

I started using the NIKE+ program in earnest about 3 weeks ago. I am not, by any stretch of the imagination a runner. I did a 1/2 marathon about 7 years ago but I literally have only run from fires, airline security and responsibility since. But I need to tell you, NIKE+ works. I don't want to talk too much about it, but I encourage you to check it out at http://www.nikeplus.com/.

One of the nifty features of NIKE+ is that as you improve the length, pace and distance of your run, a random NIKE athlete will spur you on after the workout. My understanding is that NIKE has dozens of well known athletes taking part. A co-worker got Lance Armstrong last week and another A-Rod.

But as I mentioned, I got Paula. Just Paula. In fact, a couple weeks ago I tried to make it more random, but I can't get it to happen. And now I don't want it to end. I need to hear Paula and her crisp British accent pushing me on, "great workout, that was your longest run" or "congratulations you have set a new personal best mile."

I work on presentations now and I can hear Paula "great PowerPoint Reeder, your best yet." It's getting ridiculous. But damn if I'm not getting healthy.

Robotic and efficient, I love Paula Radcliffe. I need Paula Radcliffe. Is she on Facebook? What will she say next? To find out, I need to go run.

Ohhhh NIKE you are a cheeky monkey.

Please don't tell the wife

I never thought of it like that...

2008-08-29T18:16:00.000-07:00

As told to me by my son Keegan (3 years old and frighteningly bright) while we were completing a puzzle not more than 5 minutes ago: "tear pieces to make a bigger puzzle." What he meant was that he was bored with the puzzle and that by tearing the existing pieces he would have 2x as many pieces and thus a greater challenge. A pretty fine idea if you ask me. A puzzle that grows with you. Are there perforated puzzles? If not, why not?

Not much of a first post. But my original entry was quite deep and I think I'll burden you with that once we get to know each other. That said, "tear pieces to make a bigger puzzle" is a pretty good metaphor (and Morrisseyesque line) to one of the key things I want to talk about here. And that is, how can we look at things differently? How can we find new insights, tastes, sounds and words that create something new from that which already exists?

Is anybody else bored with the puzzle? I have a few ideas. I hope you contribute a few. And know that we will be able to steal some from Keegan.